When your car breaks down, you take it to a mechanic. When you break a bone, you call a medical professional. If you have a toothache, you visit a dentist. When you need help doing your taxes, you consult a tax accountant. But who do you go to when you feel your life is in a slump, when you want to achieve a goal or gain confidence or break a habit?

You seek out a life coach.

What a life coach is

A life coach is more than a friend, more than a mentor, more than a cheerleader. A life coach is a partner, someone to support you during challenges and changes, someone to offer fresh perspective, a sense of accountability, and encouragement when things get tough. The lessons you learn from a life coach and the gains you make toward your goals do not wear out or wear thin. They last. And they keep giving.

A life coach can not only help you figure out what you want to do with your life, they can also help you figure out how exactly you can do it. A life coach is different from a therapist or a friend. They are someone who sets you up with processes, new paths, that help you improve your life and reach your goals.

What a life coach is not

A life coach is not a counselor or therapist. If you have mental, emotional or psychological issues that require therapy or medication or intervention, seek out a licensed medical professional. If you want to delve deeply into your past in order to understand your present behavior, a counselor or therapist is best equipped to walk you through that process.

A life coach is also not a paid consultant or a personal friend. Their main role is to help you get a grasp on what is happening now and how you can move forward into the future.

How a life coach can help

Here are some areas where a life coach can help you:

Gain confidence: Do you have a job interview coming up? Are you heading out on a blind date? A healthy dose of confidence could be the difference between landing the job or snagging a second date.

Find a partner: Determining what you want in a life partner, business partner, even a roommate, can lead to a more focused effort to identify these qualities in yourself and/or someone else.

Start a business: Identifying your passion, skills, experiences and channeling them into a viable way to earn a living is not only possibly, it is incredibly rewarding.

Determine a career path: Are you simply going to work, doing what you’ve always done, or showing up at a job that does not fulfill you or bring your joy? A life coach can help you discover and unlock your potential.

Discover your purpose: What brings you joy? Who can you help today? These questions, along with the one-on-one guidance a coach can provide, could lead you to a life of greater fulfillment.

Reach a health goal: Running a marathon, losing weight, gaining strength, recuperating after a health scare or illness are all worthy goals that can be more easily attained with the support and assistance of a life coach.

Heal after a divorce or breakup: Broken relationships happen and they can leave us feeling broken ourselves. A life coach can help you heal after a relationship loss and even put you back on a path to finding yourself and, if it’s important to you, a potential life partner.

Overcome grief or loss: It is impossible to be human without experiencing grief or loss. It comes to us all. Walking through that grief can be lonely. But it doesn’t have to be. A listening ear, a fresh perspective, an inspired invitation to join the world again could make the difference between darkness and emerging back into the light.

Write your life story: Perhaps your life has been filled with unbelievable, inspiring experiences. Or maybe it’s been one of quiet contributions and simple moments. Either way, each life is worthwhile and important. One of the greatest treasures we can leave behind for those we love is our personal history. A life coach can help you move those stories from your mind to the page. In doing so, you could leave a legacy for your loved ones. Or you could gain valuable insight into your heart.

Slow down and identify what’s most important to you: We live in a fast-paced, demanding world that can be noisy and disorienting. Sometimes finding purpose and joy comes only after we eliminate the things that are keeping us too busy to focus on the important things. A life coach can help you determine what brings you true happiness and then slow down enough to savor that happiness.

A life coach may be just what you need to help you achieve these goals and many more. To find a life coach that will be the best fit for you, click here.